December 2023 - Page 2 of 2 - The Bart Ehrman Blog

Bart’s Going Viral–And You Can Help!

From Diane: Hi, Bart fans--Bart is too modest to blow his own horn about this, but Academic YouTuber Dan McClellan (@maklelan) has posted a short video debunking an apologist's video trashing Bart. Dan is a master at this--watch below, and make sure to Like the video (instructions at bottom). The original creator tried to slap back--it didn't go well for him: You can help this video go viral by clicking on "YouTube" at the bottom of the video, then give it a like by clicking the little thumbs-up icon under the video (see below). It's got 1,000 likes as of this morning, and 10,000 views...let's join in:

Diane2023-12-07T22:36:28-05:00December 7th, 2023|Public Forum|

Are You Willing To Donate Blog Memberships to Those Who Can’t Afford It?

For some years now we have taken Christmas donations to provide a membership to those who would very much want one but cannot afford it. Blog members who want to make it possible donate the fee and we put memberships on offer. It's a nice holiday tradition. I will post on my various social media as well as on a public post here, the availability of memberships starting in a couple of days. I will give out as many as we have. Would you like to provide one or more people the opportunity? I get requests *ALL* the time -- not just in response to this annual announcement (dozens then) but also throughout the year, often a couple of times a week. Your donation can make it possible. As you know, annual memberships start at $29.95. So let's think in terms of $30 increments. If you'd like to donate a membership, that would be $30. Three? $90. 827? $24,810. You get the idea. This is a win-win situation. Your donation is completely tax deductible, and [...]

Diane2023-12-07T10:18:45-05:00December 7th, 2023|Public Forum|

Jesus in Illuminated Manuscripts and Legends: Video Post

Here's something I've dug out of the archives! I was asked to speak at the Getty Museum, in the Harold M. Williams Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on Thursday, September 22, 2011 during the exhibition "In the Beginning Was the Word: Medieval Gospel Illumination." Illuminated manuscripts from the Middle Ages are significant for the literary texts they preserve. But they are also important, historically and culturally, for their illustrations of the life of Jesus and other figures associated with him. These artistic representations tell tales of their own, and the visual stories are not always found in the corresponding texts. A careful examination of these images shows clearly and convincingly that medieval artists were familiar not only with the stories of the canonical Gospels but also with many noncanonical apocryphal tales of Jesus. The apocryphal stories, in some instances, were understood to be "Gospel truth" on par with accounts found in Scripture. In any event, here is the lecture that I gave: Please adjust gear icon for 720p High-Definition: Details on the "In [...]

BDEhrman2023-11-27T14:58:34-05:00December 7th, 2023|Christian Apocrypha, Public Forum, Video Media|

So: Did Anyone Think of Jesus as a Miracle-Worker Before His Crucifixion?

This is the final, and most important, of my posts on the miracles of Jesus. In it I raise the question – without being able to come to an absolutely definitive answer – of whether Jesus was thought to be a miracle worker already in his life time or if, instead, miracles came to be ascribed to him only later by followers who believed he had been raised from the dead. I incline toward the latter view. To set the stage for and make sense of what I have to say, I include the final comments from the previous post: ****************************** In the other two Synoptics there is a different understanding, one that can be seen most clearly in the saying preserved in Matthew 11:2-6. Here we are told that John the Baptist, who is now in prison, has heard about “the deeds of Christ,” and sends some of his disciples to him to ask if he is the one to come at the end of time, or if there is someone else. Jesus replies: [...]

BDEhrman2023-11-27T14:56:27-05:00December 6th, 2023|Historical Jesus|

Platinum Webinar for December: “O Little Town of Nazareth? Where Was Jesus Actually Born?”

Dear Platinum Members, It's time for our Quarterly Platinum Webinar. We have scheduled it for Thursday, December 14, 2023, at 7:30 pm. I've decided to go with a seasonal topic on an aspect of the Gospel birth narratives that most people have not much thought about: could "Jesus of Nazareth" have actually been born in Nazareth, instead of Bethlehem? Scholars have long argued so. But on what grounds? I'll explain in my talk, we'll have questions and discussion, and then you can decide for yourself. Hey, it's a free world! Here's the link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85895014121?pwd=d4YeabuDx7s5A5LTzXse3C4wQgebwV.1 I hope to see you there. Bart

BDEhrman2023-12-06T10:21:58-05:00December 5th, 2023|Public Forum|

What’s the Point of Jesus’ Miracles?

I have been talking about the stories of Jesus' miracles, and am raising the question of whether they necessarily go all the way back to Jesus' lifetime, as tales told while he was still living. I pick up where I left off last time, after showing that Jesus' miracle-working abilities increased with the passing of time. ****************************** Not only does Jesus become increasingly miraculous with the passing of time, these miracles are all told in order to make a point. The stories about Jesus as the miraculous Wunderkind reveal that he really was the Son of God endowed with supernatural power straight from the womb; as a five-year old he was already the Lord of life and death; as the resurrected savior he was manifestly a superhuman being of giant proportions. In more general terms, the miracles in our later accounts repeatedly show that Jesus was the spectacular Son of God. He was far superior to all his enemies (even if these were only the aggravating kids down the street). He was more powerful than [...]

BDEhrman2023-11-27T14:51:35-05:00December 5th, 2023|Historical Jesus|

Volunteer Needed!! Interested in Recording Audio Versions of the Blog Posts?

As you probably know, we have audio versions of all the blog posts that are available for all Gold and Platinum level members. The audio versions go out on the same day as the written posts themselves. It's a great benefit (if you're not Gold level yet: consider it!). But it takes a lot of work by volunteers who are very generous with their time. The volunteers record each post, and they are then produced and published by our audio volunteer Anthony (hail, Anthony!). We have two volunteers currently alternating in their reading of the posts, and we need to add another in order to keep the operation running smoothly. Would you be interested? To be considered, you would need to fill out a form and then submit an audition recording (all explained in the link below). We are looking for someone with a very good reading voice. The position would take time and commitment, but the position does NOT require a lot of technical expertise. You will need a computer on which to record [...]

Diane2023-12-04T11:46:58-05:00December 4th, 2023|Public Forum|

Was Jesus Considered a Miracle Worker During His Lifetime?

In my discussion of whether the historian can deal with the category of miracle, I’m now at the point where I can deal directly with the miracles ascribed to Jesus. This is an issue that I have dealt with in several books, including, most recently, Jesus Before the Gospels. It will take three posts for me to cover the waterfront here. This is how I began dealing with the issue in the book. ****************************** The Miracles of Jesus When one discusses the activities and deeds of Jesus, it is very hard indeed to avoid talking about his miracles. Miracles are everywhere in the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life. He is miraculously born to a woman who has never had sexual relations. From the beginning of his public ministry to the end he does one miracle after the other, conquering nature, healing the sick, casting out demons, and raising the dead. So abundantly attested are Jesus’ miracle-working abilities that even scholars who are otherwise skeptical of the supernatural biases of our sources sometimes [...]

BDEhrman2023-11-27T14:32:08-05:00December 3rd, 2023|Historical Jesus, Public Forum|

Gold Q&A!! Ask Your Questions!

Hey Goldies and Plats, Now's your chance! I'll be recording the December Gold Q&A on December 11, schedule gods willing, to be published later that week. God a burning, a smoldering, or a cool ? Ask away! Anything related to the blog. I'll do my best to answer. , Send your questions to [email protected], and Diane will compile and send me the list. DEADLINE: Get your question in by Saturday (12/09/2023) midnight (whenever midnight is in your time zone). Every question I get is interesting, but remember that shorter and to-the-pointer questions are more likely to be chosen. Zingers are welcome!

BDEhrman2023-12-02T17:08:17-05:00December 2nd, 2023|Public Forum|

Were Jesus’ Miracles in the Original Texts of the Gospels?

Here's an interesting question I received from a reader many years ago that I had forgotten all about, but I bet it's one some others have had (If you know the "Jefferson Bible" you'll see it has a long history of sorts): QUESTION: I have looked up the content of all the papyri of the New Testament I'm aware of (i.e. the most ancient manuscripts) . It is my understanding that although p52, p90, and p104 are dated around 125-150 AD, they contain fragments of John 18 and Matt 21 only, and that it's not until 200 AD that manuscripts emerge which actually contain accounts of supernatural actions by Jesus. So, it's possible that accounts of miracles existed in copies that got destroyed, but is it fair to say that the earliest available copies of accounts of Jesus's supernatural actions date from around 200 AD? In other words, assuming people on average had kids by age 20 back then, and thus 20 years counts as a generation, is it fair to say that the earliest available accounts [...]

BDEhrman2023-11-27T14:14:16-05:00December 2nd, 2023|Public Forum|

I’m Lecturing on a Cruise this Summer. Interested in coming?

Everyone is traveling these days. I’m traveling these days. Hey, wanna travel with me? This summer I’m doing a tour (and giving lectures) on a cruise to historic coastal cities and religious sites of Western Europe, from Amsterdam to Lisbon, July 30 - August 10. This is gonna be an unusually good trip, with awe-inspiring scenery, gorgeous medieval towns/cities, important religious sites (including Santiago de Compostela), and some of the most amazing museums in the known universe. Included on the tour are some of my all-time favorite cities: Amsterdam, Bruges, and Lisbon. And it includes a bunch of places I’ve never seen but always wanted to, Honfleur (Normandy Beaches), St. Malo (Mont St-Michel), Tresco (Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall; I’ve been to Cornwall a ton, but never the Isles), Concarneus, France (Brittany!), Santiago de Compostela (whoa…), Oporto Portugal. How good can it get? The cruise is being organized / run by Thalassa Journeys, best known for their small-group educational tours for university groups. In this case the small group is not college [...]

BDEhrman2023-12-01T15:09:13-05:00December 1st, 2023|Public Forum|

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